X Mangave plant named ‘Mayan Queen’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique X Mangave plant named ‘Mayan Queen’ characterized by silver-grey, slightly-arching, slightly-wavy, lanceolate foliage with distinctly small firm spines on deeply-scalloped margins. Leaves develop greyed purple markings with strong ultraviolet light with reddish purple base. Plants are useful for landscaping as specimens or en masse or as container plants in the landscape or in the home.

Botanical classification: x Mangave times Agave gypsophila.

Variety denomination: ‘Mayan Queen’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct X Mangave x Agavehybrid plant, X Mangave ‘Mayan Queen’ hybridized by the inventor at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA as cross between XMangave ‘Bloodspot’ (not patented) as the female or seed parent times anunnamed selection of Agave gypsophila (not patented) as the male orpollen parent. The cross was performed on Dec. 26, 2011 and seeds wereharvested and later sown Aug. 8, 2012. Through trials at the samenursery the plant was originally assigned the breeder codeXMANG-12-03-27. The new plant has been successfully asexually propagatedinitially by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture at the same nursery inZeeland, Mich. For those skilled in the art, tissue culture methods ofasexual propagation systems for ‘Mayan Queen’ have been found to producestable and identical plants that maintain all the unique characteristicsof the original plant.

No plants of X Mangave ‘Mayan Queen’ have been sold, under this or anyname, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing ofthis application, except to a perennial nursery in Raleigh, N.C. Nodisclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of thisapplication with the exception of that which was disclosed within oneyear of the filing of this application, and was either derived directlyor indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

X Mangave ‘Mayan Queen’ differs from its parents as well as all otherManfreda, Agave and X Mangave known to the applicant. Compared with thefemale parent ‘Bloodspot’ the new plant has broader, longer and moreupright leaves with more flexible apical spines and larger, moreoutright, mounded habit and the spots are more uniformly distributed andmore greyed-purple compared with the burgundy spots of ‘Bloodspot’.Compared with the male parent, the new plant has flatter, narrower,shorter, more numerous, and less wavy foliage with more purple marking.The most similar cultivars known to the inventor are X Mangave ‘PurplePeople Eater’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,949, X Mangave ‘Silver Fox’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 29,642, X Mangave ‘Mission to Mars’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.29,393 and X Mangave ‘Lavender Lady’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,194. ‘PurplePeople Eater’ has shorter, less arching foliage with more intense purplemarking, larger marginal and apical spines and has a more compact habit.‘Silver Fox’ is more compact and has smaller foliage with more intenseglaucous surfaces and less purple markings. ‘Mission to Mars’ has alarger habit with broader and longer foliage that is less glaucous andhas intense reddish markings. ‘Lavender Lady’ is shorter and morecompact in habit with more ovate foliage having more intense purplishmarkings.

The new plant, ‘Mayan Queen’, is unique from all of the above cultivarsand all Agave, X Mangave and Manfreda known to the inventor by thefollowing combined traits:

-   -   1. Slightly-arching, slightly-wavy, lanceolate foliage with        distinctly small firm spines on deeply-scalloped margins;    -   2. Silver-grey foliage develops heavy glaucous covering and        irregular greyed-purple spotting with strong ultraviolet light;    -   3. Dense reddish purple leaf bases and slightly-flexible apical        spines;    -   4. Moderate growth rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of x Mangave ‘Mayan Queen’; demonstrate the overallappearance of the new plant including the unique traits of afour-year-old plant grown in a greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. The colorsare as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambientlight spectrum, temperature, source and direction may cause theappearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant and foliage from above.

FIG. 2 shows the new plant foliage and habit from a side view.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, X Mangave ‘MayanQueen’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a four-year-old plant in a commercial wholesalegreenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer asneeded.

-   Parentage: X Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ as female or seed patent and an    unnamed selection of Agave gypsophila (not patented) as the male or    pollen parent;-   Propagation: Division of side shoots and sterile shoot-tip tissue    culture;-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About 21 days;-   Growth rate: Moderate;-   Crop time: About 12 to 16 weeks to finish in a 3.8 liter container    from a 35 mm tissue culture growing at about 21° C.;-   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching, with roots up to 20 cm    long;-   Root color: Nearest RHS 158D;-   Plant shape and habit: Succulent, herbaceous, freeze-tender    perennial with basal rosettes of about 40 leaves radially emerging    and outwardly and slightly arching from central stem extending below    the base of the plant when grown in containers, producing a    radially-symmetrical, slightly outwardly mound;-   Plant size: Foliage height about 28.0 cm tall from soil line to the    top of the leaves and about 58.0 cm wide at the widest point    slightly below soil line in container;-   Foliage description: Lanceolate; simple; margins scalloped with    small firm teeth; apex spinose; base truncate, sessile, clasping;    flat; bi-laterally symmetrical; slightly involute to slightly    conduplicate;-   Leaf size: To about 30.0 cm long, about 7.5 cm wide at base and 5.0    mm thick, average about 28.5 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 4.5 mm thick;    marginal teeth about 1.0 mm long on scalloped indentations about 5.0    mm deep and about 7.5 mm apart; spots average about 3.0 mm across    and may connect with intense ultraviolet light;-   Foliage fragrance: None observed;-   Leaf blade color:    -   -   Adaxial (young).—Nearest RHS N138B and with glaucous surface            of nearest RHS 188B and spots nearest RHS N187A with intense            ultraviolet light.        -   Abaxial (young).—Nearest RHS N138B and with glaucous surface            of RHS 188B and spots nearest RHS N187B with intense            ultraviolet light.        -   Adaxial (mature).—Nearest RHS N138D with blush of nearest            RHS 188B and spots between RHS N187A and RHS N187B.        -   Abaxial (mature).—Nearest RHS N138D.        -   Teeth.—Nearest RHS 160B on young leaves and maturing to            nearest RHS 166A.-   Apical spine or mucro: Sharp and flexible; average about 4.0 mm long    and about 1.0 mm wide at base;-   Apical spine or mucro color: Nearest RHS 175B on young expanding    leaves and maturing to nearest RHS 200B;-   Petiole: Sessile;-   Veins: Parallel; not distinct abaxial or adaxial;-   Stem: Terete; covered with leaves; about 3.0 cm across and extending    to about 4.0 cm above soil; without branching; attitude upwards,    erect; Flowers have not yet been observed. Fruit and seed have not    yet been observed.-   Disease resistance: X Mangave ‘Mayan Queen’ has not been observed to    be resistant to diseases beyond that which is normal for X Mangave,    Agave or Manfreda. The plant is xeromorphic and survives well with    minimal water once established. The new plant is hardy at least from    USDA zone 9a to 11. Full extent of winter hardiness has not been    tested.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental X Mangaveplant named ‘Mayan Queen’ as herein described and illustrated, suitablefor the garden or as a potted plant in the garden or home.